Walter Johnson Health and Wellness Center construction update

New facility, featuring multiple gyms, 8-lane pool, fencing studio and more, expected to open this winter

The interior framework of the facility has been finished since the beginning of summer, but there is still quite a ways to go before the building will be completed

By Bridget Barsanti, Opinion Editor
October 16, 2017

Director of Finance Peter McAndrew took The Dial on a tour of the gym construction.

In April and May, the concrete was poured, and the floors and roof were completed. Everything that is going to be seen on the inside has been completed since June.

The Walter Johnson Health and Wellness Center includes eight squash courts, a fencing studio, wrestling room, aerobic center, lifting center, and an eight-lane pool. In addition to these spaces, classrooms and spaces are being built so that new programs can be developed.

“This is an unusual building because so much of the bulding is only seriously used October through February, so outside the varsity gyms, we have a lot of opportunity to develop new programs,” Mr. McAndrew said.

Another feature of the gym is the view glass. View glass is double-paned, and in between the two panes there is a low voltage wire you cannot see. “A coding inside the glass responds to electricity and darkens according to a sensor on the roof. There will be a computer program that looks at where we are located in terms of latitude and the darkness will vary by conditions. People will have an app that can control the darkness if they don’t like the pre-setting,” said Mr. McAndrew. The construction project is expected to be completed sometime this winter.